


The One Time Tony Follows Steve's Approach and Punches Nazis

by SevereLove51



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Steve, Hydra (Marvel), Stony Reverse Big Bang 2020, battle gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevereLove51/pseuds/SevereLove51
Summary: After coming back from his business trip, Tony discovered that Steve went on a solo mission to stop HYDRA. When a report breaks that SHIELD lost Steve's location, Tony decides that he needs to beat up some Nazis to rescue his crush.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51
Collections: Captain America/Iron Man Reverse Bang 2020





	The One Time Tony Follows Steve's Approach and Punches Nazis

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the 2020 Captain America/Iron Man Reverse Bang. I had a lot of fun working on this. 
> 
> The art is done by: talesofsuspense  
> Image: https://i.imgur.com/Kt7GzP3.jpg

> [OATH Banner](//imgur.com/KOPPSN3)

  
It’s been a few days since he last saw the other Avengers. The work conference in Las Vegas lasted longer than he expected. What supposed to be a two day trip turned into a four day trip, half about actual work and the other half trying to win over investors through casino games. From the small window of his plane, he could see the New York City skyline. Among the buildings, he spotted Stark Tower,correction, the Avengers Tower. 

He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. His right leg lightly bounced as the plane descended closer and closer to his building. His mind travelled to the various situations he’ll find the Avengers in. Maybe the team decided to watch a movie without him, but team movies were usually at night, so he ruled out that possibility. There was a possibility either Clint or Nat is on a mission and the tower will be a less snarky. He knew Bruce would be buried in his research. Bruce probably had forgotten Tony went on a business trip, probably didn’t even know what day it is either. Tony had installed new windows in the lab sometime last month to block out daylight. He remembered Bruce and him working on a new project and didn’t realize 34 hours had past. Thor crossed his mind next. Honestly, Tony could never tell what Thor would do. Somedays he would disappear somewhere into space, others he would spend all day at the Tower and experiment with human items. Unfortunately, those experiments resulted in said items getting destroyed and Tony having to cough up a part of his check to replace it. Then there was Steve. 

_Steve_.  He smiled softly. He knew there was not much for the Man out of Time to do, but Steve always found a way to keep himself entertained. Whether taking a drive to Brooklyn, lose himself in an art museum, or learn modern technology, Steve always managed to find a task to keep himself busy for the day. Tony secretly hoped the first person he sees is Steve. 

His leg kept bouncing.

“Tony are you listening?” Pepper asked, annoyance dipped from her lips. 

Tony tore his eyes from the window to Pepper. She looked at him unimpressed then shook her head and sighed. 

“Tony,” she started, “Francisco agreed to invest in the clean energy engine, but he wants full knowledge of everything that is going on.”

“Okay, let him know we will keep him up to date with everything,” Tony answered. He suddenly had the urgency to stare at the window again. His hand gripped the fabric of his pants to stopped his leg from bouncing. _‘Calm yourself.’_

“He would also like to set up another meeting with you-“

“That’s fine.”

“In person.”

“Shit, really?”

Pepper shrugged. “He wants to see how genuine are you.”

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Really? What makes him think I have the time for an in person meeting?”

“See? That’s why, he wants to see how much you actually want his money and his time for this project.”

“How soon?”

“As soon as possible.”

He pressed his back to the airplane seat and let his hand slide down to his lap. “When am I next available?”

“Wednesday at 3 pm.” 

“Schedule it.”

Pepper shot him a look. 

“Please Pepper, can you schedule my appointment, pretty please?” Tony pouted. Pepper shook her head as she scheduled the appointment on the tablet. “You know, I appreciate you so much.”

“If you appreciate me so much, you would reflect it on my salary,” Pepper shot back. 

Tony chuckled. He turned his attention back to the tiny window. The buildings have gotten closer than last time he looked. He pressed his hand down on his leg to stop it from bouncing, but the anxiety just went to his chest. It slowly build up as the Tower grew closer in range. He sucked in his breath and squeezed the black material in his fist, hoping the anxious feeling dies down. Tony wasn’t sure why he felt anxious, the Avengers are his glorified co-workers, sometimes friends, sometimes family depending on the mood, why the hell is he so anxious? 

Eventually, the plane landed. Tony and Pepper gathered their stuff. Tony thanked the pilot and handed him an additional check for returning them safely. 

“Jarvis, take our bags,” Tony ordered as he stepped onto the landing pad. 

“Yes, sir.”

Behind him robots came out from under the platform and brought their bags into their respective rooms. 

Tony went to the living room first to scope out which Avenger was home. He spotted Clint and Natasha playing pool. Judging by the lack of billiard balls on the table, Tony could tell they've been at it for a while. Neither Clint nor Natasha verbally acknowledge his existence, but being SHIELDS best spies they probably knew he was there. 

Tony headed to the bar and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He cracked opened the top and started drinking. He leaned against the counter then removed the bottle from his lips. 

"Who's winning?" Tony asked.

"Me,” both Clint and Natasha responded. 

"We're tied,” Natasha clarified, standing straight up and looking at Tony.

“Well don't break my pool table, that cost money."

"Oh no, I would hate to break Mr. Billionaire’s pool table,” Clint mocked, eyes focused on the billiard ball in front of him. 

"Shove it, Legolas,” Tony retorted. Another swing at the bottle and his eyes wandered around the living room. He figured since Natasha and Clint were in the living room Steve would also be there. There were no signs of Steve nor any indication that he has been in the living room. There were two glasses on the table, the sink was cleared from any dishes. He set the bottle down, lips pressed in a thin line as he forced down his thoughts about Steve. “Anyone else home?"

"Bruce is still huddled up in his lab,” Natasha replied. 

"Our lab,” Tony corrected which earned an eye roll from Natasha. “What about Thor?"

"Sleeping." 

"This late?"

"He drank two barrel worth of mead last night."

Tony paused. “You guys had a party without me?"

"Shush! You're interfering with our game,” Clint snapped. 

"Hey, don't change the subject. What happened last night?" He heard the click of two balls hitting each other and a loud ‘yes’ from Clint. Tony frowned. “I can ask JARVIS."

“Then ask him."

Tony sighed, a bit disappointed at how this conversation had turned out. “JARVIS, did they have a party without me?”

“Yes, sir. It was Mr. Barton’s idea.”

“Snitch.”

“And Mr. Thor started the drinking game and won.”

“Of course,” Tony said. He took another swing from his bottle. 

“Mr. Rogers did not join them.” 

“Huh.” He set his bottle down. Steve wouldn’t miss out on a team hangout. “Where’s Steve then?” He asked while looking at his fellow team members. 

“Mr. Rogers left early that morning. He did not say where he was going.” JARVIS gave him an answer, but Tony felt that his question still went unanswered. 

Steve was gone, Tony acknowledged that fact, but he couldn’t process why and where he went. 

“JARVIS, where did Steve go?” Tony asked, eyes still on Clint and Natasha. 

“I am afraid I do not know the answer to that question.”

This time he asked his two teammates. “Nat? Clint?”

At this point, they stopped their game. They both looked at each other nervously, but stayed quiet. 

Tony felt tense and uneasy. “Why are you two being quieter than usual?” 

“Steve is…” Clint started. He turned his head to Natasha, who nodded at him. He sighed then turned back to Tony. “He’s on a mission.”

Confusion drawn on his face. All the Avengers were still in the Tower, it didn’t make sense. “What do you mean he is on a mission? Steve doesn’t do solo missions.”

“SHIELD wanted Steve to do a specific mission because it’s more personal to him,” Natasha continued, taking over the conversation from Clint. 

“Personal how?”

“It’s HYDRA-“

“HYDRA? Are you shitting me? The last two times he fought with HYDRA, he nearly died!”

“I know, Tony, I was there for one of them.” He heard Natasha sigh. He was too angry to face either of them. How could they let Steve go on a mission alone? They saw what happened to him last time, besides Steve shouldn’t be qualified to do solo missions anymore after what happened on the ship. How long did they know he’s been going on a solo mission, how long did Steve know? “Look, Tony, you know Steve is smart, he can handle himself.”

Tony’s head shot up as he glared at Natasha. He stepped away from the bar and walked into the main area of the living room. “Can he? The only reason why he was saved last time because someone was there to rescue him.” He found himself approaching Natasha and Clint by the pool table. “Steve is out there fighting who knows how many fucking HYDRA members with no backup!”

“Steve is not going to die, Tony, you’re overreacting,” Clint told him. 

“Well, I think you are underreacting.” Tony shook his head. “How long has he’ve been gone?”

“Since 7,” Clint answered. “I saw him through the air ducts.”

“And you didn’t stop him?”

“And what? Give him a heart attack?”

“Clint, you’re not helping,” Natasha replied sharply. “Tony, just trust Steve, okay. If anything, and I doubt it will, happen SHIELD will notify us and we’ll go help him.”

Tony loosen his jaw. He was seething with anger and didn’t realize how tight his jaw was. He took in a sharp breath and nodded in compliance. ‘ _Trust Steve, just like you do in battle.’_

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But if there’s any signs of trouble, I’m going after him with or without you guys.”

Tony spent the next thirty minutes bouncing his legs and pacing himself around the room. Clint had decided to watch a movie to help distract Tony, but at random times throughout the movie he would get up and start pacing. When he sat down, his legs bounced and he kept shifting his sitting position. He couldn’t stand to sit here while Steve was purposely putting himself through danger. Sure he’s a supersoldier, but he is only _one_ supersoldier going against an army of HYDRA soldiers. 

“Tony you’re not helping yourself by freaking out,” Clint said.

“Can you blame me?”

Clint rolled his eyes. “At least try to enjoy the movie.” 

“Fine,” Tony grumbled. He plump himself down next to Clint. “What’s happening anyways?”

“Maybe if you paid attention you would know.”

“Not helping me, Legolas.”

“I-“

“Agent Romanoff,” the radio went off. Tony snapped his head to Natasha’s direction. “Come in, Agent Romanoff.”

She picked up the radio that was attached to her hip and answered. “Agent Romanoff, reporting.” 

“We lost communication with Rogers,” the person on the radio reported.

His heart dropped and blood ran cold at the news. Both Natasha and Clint gave each other a worried look.

“How did you lose communication with Rogers?” Natasha asked angrily.

“We’re not sure. He stopped responded when we asked for an updated report. When we checked his comms, his location hasn’t moved for fifty minutes,” the woman on the radio reported.

Tony moved closer to Natasha. “Nat, where is he?”

“Where was his last location?” Natasha asked into the radio. 

“His last pinned location was near the border of Austria and Switzerland, near Fussach, Austria.”

“Nat, send me any additional details, I’m going after Steve.”

“Tony, wait-“ and before Natasha can say anything else, Tony had already left the room. 

* * *

Ten minutes later and Tony was miles away from Avengers Tower. He was rash, he knew that. He should left better prepared, sat down and try to pinpoint the exact area Steve might be. All he knew was Steve’s last pinned location was Fussach, Austria. At the current speed he’s going, it would take him about two hours to reached his destination. Two hours before he can find and rescue Steve. Two hours left alone in his thoughts. 

“JARVIS, put on some music.”

“What would you like to play, sir?”

“The usual.”

“Playing AC/DC, sir.” 

The music wasn’t enough to distract himself from thinking of Steve despite the loud rock and roll of AC/DC. His stomach churned thinking about the possible condition he might find Steve in. _‘No, can’t think like that.’_ He needed to think positively, not to jump to that dark conclusion, but Steve has been gone for nearly seven hours. Best case scenario: he finds Steve mid-battle against HYDRA agents. They kick Nazi ass and fly back home where Steve will be safe and sound. Worst case scenario: well that one was obvious. 

As a super soldier, it takes a look to damage Steve, but he isn’t invincible. Tony remembered reading the grisly report of what happened between Steve and the Winter Soldier. Shot three times and nearly drowned, there was a huge possibility Tony could have lost Steve. _‘Could have,’_ Tony loved to cling onto those words. If Steve can withstand three gunshots, almost beaten to death by another super soldier and falling from a helicarrier that was 25,000 feet in the air and into a freezing river, Steve is pretty durable. He reminded himself of that whenever the team carried out a mission and they get separated. Right now, he needed to have faith that Steve is safe. 

Flying through the Atlantic ocean was painful. Long roads of water that didn’t seem to end. He grew antsy. He hadn’t reached the coastline yet and Steve is possibility out there doing god knows what. Knowing the severity of the solo mission and the type of person Steve is, Tony knew the old man has gotten himself in trouble by now. He felt the anger rise in him again. How stupid could Steve be? Why would he go on a solo mission with no backup? Not even ask for any SHIELD agent to accompany him in his mission. Then there was the fact his mission had to deal with HYDRA. His anger was replaced with dread. The image of the state he saw Steve in at the hospital crept into his mind. He couldn’t see that again. He’ll make sure of that, even if it makes destroying every HYDRA camp in sight to find him. 

In the distance, lights from a nearby coastline entered his field of vision. The anger and dread simmered a bit. A sliver of hope breached through those feelings. 

“JARVIS, how far are we?” Tony asked.

“About 45 minutes, sir.”

_ ‘45 minutes, just hang in there, Stevie.’  _

Stevie? Where the hell did that came from?

“JARVIS, do me a favor, can you read my vitals?”

“Are you sure? Nothing has happened yet, sir.” 

“I just want to see my heart rate.” 

Tony inhaled and exhaled twice. He listened to the readings by JARVIS. Everything, as he thought, was okay, but his heart was beating fast. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. _‘Just focus on getting to that coastline.’_

“JARVIS, one more favor.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Play a podcast for me.”

“Any in mind, sir?”

“Whatever fits me.”

“Okay, searching for a suitable podcast for Tony Stark.”

“For an AI, that sounded sassy.” 

He reached Fussach, Austria. It was dark outside, the only source of natural light came from the full moon over him. Tony used the coordination Natasha gave him to find the exact place Steve was last spotted. At that exact coordination, it was the edge of the land. Ahead of him was a body of water that separate this town from Germany and Switzerland. He had JARVIS searched the premise to find any signs that Steve may have left behind. JARVIS did pick up a metallic item left on the grass. It was Steve’s communicator. 

“Fuck, come on Steve.” He stepped out of the iron suit and picked up the communicator. He examined it. It didn’t look destroyed, everything seemed intact nor did it looked as if it’s been forcefully ripped off of him. Tony cursed again. “He didn’t want anyone finding him. What the fuck, Steve?” 

He shoved the communicator into his pocket and returned into his iron suit. “Okay, new find, any footprints?” 

JARVIS did another scan for him. Steve barely left footprints or it could have been the elements that erased most of the evidence. The footprints led into the lake. Tony flew up into the air, high enough that he seen behind the tall trees, but low enough he can see the surface of the lake. He used his scanners to detect for anything unusual in the lake. Eventually, the scanner discovered something peaking out of the waters of the lake. 

“Bingo.” 

In the middle of the lake was a small area of concrete, in the center a manhole cover with a keypad on it. Tony cut through it with his laser and dropped down through the entrance. He landed on the ground with a ‘clink.’ The hallways were painted white while the floor kept its original metal appearance. So far, no HYDRA agents in sight. 

_ ‘Okay, time to kick some Nazi ass.’  _

He flew down the hallway, searching for any signs of Steve. As he flew, he heard yelling in German and a people clamoring around. He kept flying. As angry as he is, his main priority is Steve. 

“ _Halt_.” 

He froze. He hovered himself to the ground then turned around. Five HYDRA agents stood with automatic weapons in their hands. They continued to shout in German. Then their guns went off, the bullets ricocheting off his armor. That boiling anger that raged in his chest build as the bullet kept rebounding off the the metal suit. Tony lifted his hand and pulse blasted the agents. He turned back around and walked down the hallway. 

The first door he saw, he blasted it down. Nothing. Each door he encountered, he knocked, destroyed whatever was inside and kept going. No point in allowing another HYDRA sector come and finish what this group started. Each door he crossed upon had no Steve and the empty rooms made him worried. 

Running through the halls, Tony stopped and saw HYDRA agents. From his view, he could see about thirty. He inhaled and shut his eyes. He heard the agents yelling at him in German then the sound of bullets hitting his armor. He exhaled. His eyes opened. Slowly, he walked towards the small army of HYDRA. The men showed no indication of stopping. He grabbed one of the guns and flung the man into the wall. He grabbed another and did the same. One man lunged forward at him. Raising his hand, a blast slammed the man into the wall. Another lunged forward then another. The iron fists collided with both men’s jaw and the collapsed to the floor. He used his pulse blasts to do most of the work. Men knocked into the walls, some into each other, and a few further down the hallway. The more he walked, the less bullets he heard. 

Tony found another set of doors in the hallway. He cleared through each, again ending in the same outcome as before. From the distance, he saw a man running away from him. 

“Steve?” 

He ran after him, but it was just a man in a white lab coat. He frowned. Where was this man going? He slammed the man into the wall and gripped his collar. 

“Where is he? Where’s Captain America?”

The man was shaking. He didn’t make eye contact, but he was mumbling something in German. 

“Jarvis translate.”

“He says he won’t tell you.”

“Well tell him if he doesn’t tell me where Steve is in the next two seconds.” With his free hand he held it up. It started to vibrate and glowed orange. “Or I’m blowing his brains out.”

“He says if you make a right down this hall, you’ll find a laboratory-“

“Great.” He let go of his grip on the man. “You get to survive today.”

Tony headed to the laboratory. The bad thoughts crept into his mind again. He dreaded what bad position he might find Steve in. _‘Hopefully, no, definitely not dead.’_ Another thought crossed his mind: experiments. 

He blasted through the heavy metal doors of the laboratory. Scientists and HYDRA soldiers jolted at his appearance. The soldiers ran at him while the scientists tried to gather up everything they can. Among the ruckus of all of them trying to run, he saw Steve. His heart raced and felt a wave a relief washed through his body. 

“Give. Me. Back. My. Steve.”

Tony tear through the soldiers with ease. Blasted some into the wall, knocked some with punches and kicks and called it a day. He ran towards Steve. The scientists were still grabbing as much research papers as they could. Angry, he used his lasers to destroy whatever papers or equipments he saw. He decided it to leave the scientists alone, but their research on Steve? Not so much. Much to his delight, Tony reached Steve. Steve was shackled to a capsule-like operation table. Purple bruises painted his face and his lips were busted.

He lightly tapped Steve’s forehead, unknowingly holding his breath in. “Steve?” He heard a soft moan from the man’s lips. He exhaled with relief. “Okay, Steve, I’m going to get us out of here.”

Carefully, he used his lasers to break the metal clamps on Steve’s wrists and ankles. The last clamp fell to the ground and Tony caught Steve before he could fall out of the capsule. He set Steve down first then grabbed Steve’s shield and placed it on the back of the iron suit. Tony did his best to carry Steve, but the restrictions from the metal suit made it hard to properly bridal-style carry someone. He retraced his steps back to the original entrance. He held onto Steve tighter as he started to hover. 

“ _Hol ihn_!”

“ _Halt_!”

“Shit,” Tony whispered. He jetted himself out of the underground base. He still had a tight hold on Steve and the man has yet to wake up. 

“JARVIS, take me to the nearest hos-“

A loud boom rang through his ears. His body rocked in his suit and a fiery explosion from behind sent him flying into the woods. Just as they were going to crash, Tony positioned himself to land on his back. The impact was huge, but the vibranium shield bared most of it. His body ached and his head was pounding. Steve was still in his embrace. He didn’t look anymore damaged than before. 

He groaned. “JARVIS, readings please.”

“You have some minor cuts, sir,” JARVIS said. “The explosion did damage the suit and you only have 5% energy left.”

“Dammit. Alright, where’s the nearest hotel?”

“About 20 miles away, sir.”

“How much energy that will take?”

“About 2%, sir.”

“Well, we’re going a hotel, make sure to book it for me.”

“Very well, sir.”

* * *

When Tony reached the hotel, he could feel the suit slowly powering itself down. He exited out of the suit and rested Steve on the ground. He quickly grabbed the keys and ran back to bring Steve up to bed. He had the iron suit follow him into the room before it eventually broke apart and shut down. Tony didn’t expect a super soldier to weigh so much without having the iron suit to help him. Steve was still unconscious. He had JARVIS check his vitals on the trip here. From the surface, JARVIS could tell Steve had a fractured cheekbone and possibly internal bleeding. There wasn’t much supplies at a hotel that can help Steve, but he did ask the assistant downstairs for a first aid kit. 

Tony pulled Steve’s communicator for his pocket. He turned it on. “Hello? Anyone?”

Nothing.

He tried again.

Nothing. 

One more time.

“…H…ello?”

“Oh thank god. Look, I’m Tony Stark, I’m here with Rog- Steve Rogers, the guy that just disappeared?”

“Yes! You found him?”

Tony glanced over at Steve’s resting body. “Yeah…”

“It seems your current location is Lochau, Austria, is that correct?”

“I guess.”

“I have your coordinates down, but it will take our crew about five hours to reach you.”

“Five? This man may have internal bleeding!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, but that is the best we can do. We will see you in the morning.”

The radio went off. Tony can only frown at that conversation.

“Some help, SHIELD is.” He looked back at Steve. He still hasn’t move, but his breathing is normal. Tony decided that he needed to clean Steve up as best as he could. He went for the first kid in the bathroom and set it in the counter. When he set the kit on the counter, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He narrowed his eyes at the cuts on his forehead and cheeks. Whatever minor bleeding that occurred had stopped. He opened up the kit and used a cotton ball to clean the cuts. The liquid on the cotton ball did sting a little. He finished it up by applying bandages on them.

_ ‘Okay, now for Steve.’ _

Tony headed back to the bedroom. Steve still laid on the bed. He sat down next to the man. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of him. He was memorized by the man in front of him. His heart raced whenever he was around Steve. His chest would swell with warmth and giddiness and his mind swirled. His reactions were childish in his mind.He felt like an elementary school girl who developed his first crush. He laughed at that. Crush? He couldn’t wrap his head around that. In his mind, it felt wrong to see Steve in that type of way. It’s not that Tony isn’t attracted to man, he had flings with men before. Steve and Tony are teammates. Them dating would make the team dynamic weird and don’t want to risk anything bad by pursuing it, but seeing Steve like this is making it hard for him to snuff out his feelings for Steve.

He heard a soft moan. Steve started to stir. The man opened his lips partly then closed it. Slowly, his eyes began to open, blues eyes meeting brown.

“Tony?” Steve mumbled.

“Steve,” was all Tony could choke out. “How are you feeling bud?”

“Tired.” Steve tried to sit up, but he hissed in pain. “Damn.”

“I see those Nazis gave you a run for your money, huh?” 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. “Na...zis? How-“

“That I know you were fighting HYDRA? Alone?” Tony interrupted. 

“I...”

Tony held his finger up and shook his head. “No excuses. You worried everyone, how selfish could you be?” 

“S…sorry. I thought I could handle it,” Steve told him.

“Clearly you couldn’t,” Tony grumbled. He sighed. “Well, I got to clean ya up. You think you can make it to the bathroom.”

“With your help, yes.” 

Through the hisses and groans, Tony managed to help Steve into the bathroom. He had Steve sit down on the counter while addressing his wounds. 

“I’m going to take off your suit, is that fine?”

Steve nodded. He kept his head lowered, avoiding eye contact with Tony. Tony’s lips pressed into a fine line when he noticed. He felt bad, but he was still upset with Steve’s reckless actions to say anything. Tony peeled off the top of Steve’s suit, heat rising from his cheeks. He left the man’s chest exposed, showing more ugly bruises on Steve’s white skin. There was more compared to his skin, each bruise a different shape and size from the other. It was an unusual state that Tony has seen him in. The only time Steve’s been this bruised was after his fight with the Winter Soldier. On team missions, he would only have a few scrapes and cuts. Disappointment filled his thoughts. If only Steve had requested back up this wouldn’t have happened. Why was he so afraid to ask for backup? Looking at the bruises made him irritated.

Tony took one of the cotton balls, dabbed it in saline solution then pressed it on Steve’s cut lips. Steve hissed in pain and jerked his head away. Tony did the same to the other cuts. He tossed the cotton ball in the sink. He grabbed a rag off the bathroom railing and wet it. He used it to wash Steve’s face of any dirt and dried blood. Fortunately, Steve did not jerk his head, but he did rise his head higher.

“Tony,” Steve began.

“What?” He replied, harshly.

“You’re mad at me,” Steve stated.

Tony scoffed. “What makes you think that?” He moved the rag from Steve’s face to his neck. 

“That attitude,” Steve pointed out. “Plus I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re mad.”

“Oh I forgot, Steve Rogers is a people reader.” His chest started to grow with anger. 

“Why are you mad?” Steve asked.

“Why _I’m_ mad? Are you seriously asking _me_ that Steve?” Tony snapped. “You went on a mission by yourself against HYDRA and you didn’t bother to ask for backup? You could have Natasha, Clint, hell even me!”

“You were away on a business trip.”

“I would have dropped everything for you.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“And why the hell not? We’re teammates, Steve! Last time I checked, we’re supposed to have each other backs.”

Steve stayed quiet. He lowered his head again. Regret written all over his face. “I…couldn’t afford anyone getting hurt because of me.”

“No one would have-“

“Natasha did, Sam did, countless of innocent bystanders were hurt because I was too careless with HYDRA. If I had stopped them in 1944, HYDRA wouldn’t have infiltrated SHIELD! So sorry if I don’t want to see the people I love get hurt because what I failed to do.” 

Tony stopped cleaning. He placed the rag next to Steve. At first, he didn’t look at Steve. Instead he closed his eyes. He felt Steve’s eyes boring into him. 

With a sigh, Tony opened his eyes. “You make it hard to love you, you know that?”

Steve gave him a lopsided smile. “I know.” This time they were making eye contact. “Tony, I’m really sorry for what I did... You don’t deserve that.”

Tony smiled back at him. “You’re right. I don’t deserve that. Next time, call me, okay? I’ll gladly punch some Nazis with you.” Tony pressed his lips against Steve’s forehead. As he separated, Steve grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss on the lips. 

When they broke away, Steve smiled. “Gladly.” 


End file.
